Tag Archives: Sony Xperia

Sony's Xperia Z, one of two new phones the company just unveiled at CES 2013

Last week, on Pure Mobile's Canadian blog, we reported on a leaked picture of two yet to be unveiled smartphones that prematurely popped up on Sony's website. The devices in question were quite clearly the newest additions to Sony's Xperia line, but we expected to have to wait until this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to get some real idea of their specs.

And now as expected, Sony has brought the Android-powered Xperia Z and Xperia ZL to CES 2013 in Las Vegas, where attendees got to have the first real hands-on with the new phones, both of which are "worth getting excited about," according to Gizmodo.

According to reports, both phones have just about the same internal specs. Each sports a 5-inch,1080p TFT Reality display and a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. And both are LTE-capable, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

Even the 13MP cameras are the same and both can capture HDR video, except that the Xperia ZL's is rear-facing and the Xperia Z's is front-facing.

Sony's Xperia ZL

So far, the reviews are mostly raves, with Gizmodo calling them "the best phones Sony has ever made, by a huge margin," and with Engadget claiming "Sony may have a bonafide hit on its hands with the Xperia ZL."

So what's really so great about them? Well, for starters, the sleek, glassy surface of the Xperia Z is totally waterproof for up to 30 minutes at up to 3 feet. Meanwhile, the ZL, which isn't waterproof, works as a universal remote. Both phones also boast an awesome Battery Stamina Mode feature, that turns your data stream off when your phone is idle, so your standby time will be increased by up to 400 percent.

For a while now, Sony phones have sort of been taking a backseat to other Android devices. But if the reception at this year's CES is any indication, their newest phones may just have them poised to take a much more aggressive position once the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL launch sometime around March.

Branded as the official James Bond Skyfall phone, Sony's XPeria TL arrives at AT&T November 2

Dubbed the "Official James Bond Phone," the latest in Sony's XPeria Lineup, the Xperia TL, will be swaggering into AT&T stores as of November 2.

In pretty hyperbolic style and promising to "give everyday people the chance to live like James Bond," the AT&T press release promised to make the new smartphone available for $99.99, so long as you sign a 2 year contract.

According to Engaget, the device has quite a lot going for it, despite the fact that its "materials feel cheap." For one, it's got a 1.5GHz dual-core S4 processor as well as NFC capabilities.

Aside from that, AT&T just couldn't help reminding us all (for what seems like the thousandth time) that the Xperia TL is "featured in the upcoming James Bond cinema release Skyfall [and] will be used in the film by 007 himself."

But just in case you didn't get the message, they've preloaded the device with tons of Skyfall content like "behind the scenes footage, interviews, clips, wallpapers, ring tones, and more."

Though we have a hard time believing that any smartphone can ever really let someone "live like James Bond," we have to admit the XPeria TL at least looks slick enough to be something Bond would carry.

We recently had a chance to view and blog about the leaked Sony smartphone roadmap. If this is to be believed we expect Sony to release three phones in 2nd quarter of 2012... these are the LT22i Nypon, the MT27i Pepper and the ST25i Kumquat. it is most probable that these three cell phones will be formerly announced by Sony at next month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

From a leaked document found on an Indonesian website agency... which is the equivalent of the US based FCC has listed Sony's code named ST25i smartphone as the new Sony Xperia U - thanks to GSM Arena for the provided specs. Above is one of the first leaked images of the new Xperia U which is a welcome addition to the Sony Xperia cell phone business line. Which makes wonder if Sony is planning to follow in Samsung- branded cell phones footsteps by creating an a plethora of Xperia models.

No doubt, Nokia cell phone Lumia 900 made quite an impression at CES, but another (non-Samsung and non-Apple) smartphone contender made waves as well. That is Sony Ericsson’s Xperia S. Taking the approach of tailoring and optimizing software to the hardware, Sony has taken the familiar and effective Gingerbread OS and made a device that runs incredibly smoothly and also has the look and feel of a great smartphone.

Like the Nokia Lumia handsets, the Sony Xperia S smartphone is made of a single piece of high density polycarbonate which feels substantial and appears chic and modern. It also serves as a great frame to the 720p screen that uses the Sony Bravia Engine and fuses the LCD glass to bring down reflections. Let the latest in trend setting fashionable accessories express your unique style! Discover an extensive array of award-wining design protective cases and skins deliver modern style, stunning design and smart protection. Make your mobile devices stand out. Customize your look - how cool can you be?

Another impressive feature is this handset’s camera. For what it lacks in flashy new Android OS updates, a 12 megapixel rear facing camera that can be used with just the press of a side button – even when the phone is turned off! Incredibly zippy, this camera goes from zero-to-shutter in less time than the Galaxy Nexus. And, the photo quality far surpasses the competition as well.

Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson opted to use the Snapdragon S3 chip instead of the S4. Also disappointing is the lack of LTE on this device (which the manufacturer doled out to its AT&T exclusive Xperia Ion in the US). There are rumors that an LTE Sony phone will come Canada’s way in Q3, but in tech terms that is quite a ways out.

Some silver lining to the LTE regret is Sony will be bundling Video Unlimited support and the Xperia S is Playstation Certified which is great news for gamers who will have access to an ever growing number of PSOne games. This makes a case for purchasing better earpieces and headphones, speakers and additional MicroSD Memory cards to get the most of the device investment.

Canada should see this smartphone hit the market in March or so, but actual release dates and carrier availability are bound to follow, so keep tuned!